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Oakland, San Jose Express Interest In 2nd Amazon Headquarters

OAKLAND (KCBS) — The cities of San Jose and Oakland could be in the running to become the home of Amazon’s second headquarters.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said the new headquarters will be built somewhere in North America, and that it will be a “full equal” to its Seattle counterpart, with as many as 50,000 jobs.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has issued a statement saying the city is excited to explore the Amazon HQ2 project, and the benefits it could bring to the community.

“Oakland always seeks to attract jobs and prosperity to our great city,” Schaaf said. “At an estimated 50,000 employees, the project would have a profound impact on Bay Area residents, and in the midst of a statewide housing affordability crisis, we would need to address all outcomes a project of this magnitude would create.”

Meanwhile, officials in San Jose said some of the requirements Amazon is looking for are a direct fit for their city.

The company said it would spend over $5 billion on whatever site it winds up choosing.